A three-member committee comprising the director of industrial safety and health, the member-secretary of the Pollution Control Board, and the additional director of public health has been constituted to submit a preliminary report within 24 hours and a detailed report within three days on the ammonia leak at a seafood export firm on Sunday.Chief minister C Joseph Vijay Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund to the families of the two deceased. The govt would also bear the cost of transporting the bodies to Odisha for the last rites.The chief minister directed officials to ensure specialised treatment for the injured workers and initiate compensation proceedings under the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) scheme and the Workmen Compensation Act. He also ordered immediate inspections of hazardous industrial units across Tamil Nadu to identify potential safety lapses and prevent similar incidents.Condolences poured in from across the political spectrum on Sunday after two people died and more than 62 were hospitalised. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply pained to hear about the loss of lives’ due to the mishap in Tiruvallur district”. “My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,”’ he said in an X post. Tamil Nadu governor R V Arlekar too said he was “deeply saddened by the tragic ammonia gas leak incident”.Leader of opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin said the govt must ensure that the workers admitted to hospitals receive proper medical treatment. “To prevent such tragic incidents, govt should conduct regular inspections to ensure safety guidelines are being properly followed. If necessary, new standard operating procedures and safety protocols should be introduced,” he said.AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami too urged the govt to ensure that safety protocols are followed in industries through regular inspections.Health minister K G Arunraj said special medical teams from RGGGH had been deployed to private hospitals to assess patients and facilitate the transfer of critically ill persons, if required.Premalatha Vijayakanth, DMDK general secretary who visited the hospitals where the affected are being treated, said compensation must be increased to at least Rs 5 lakhs. “The factory should either be closed or shifted outside the city limits. This is not the first incident reported from the same factory. The pipes are old and there has been leakage,” she said.
